EU proposes tripling Frontex to 30,000 staff and making it the lead agency on returns

In brief

• On 27 October 2026 the Commission tabled two draft regulations: a new Frontex mandate and digital case management for return, readmission and reintegration.
• The Frontex standing corps would gradually reach 30,000 staff. Separately, a European Border and Return Reserve of 17,000 officers from EU countries would be created.
• The agency's budget in the next EU long-term budget would rise from about EUR 6 billion to EUR 11.8 billion.
• Frontex would get a return coordination centre and could organise returns from one non-EU country to another under specific agreements.
• Both drafts take effect only after approval by the Council and the Parliament. They do not change entry rules for tourists or residence permit holders.

What the Commission proposed

The package consists of two documents. The first amends the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation, the legal basis for Frontex. The second is a new regulation on the digitalisation of case management for return, readmission and reintegration. The Commission presented them on 27 October 2026 in Brussels. Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said the aim is that events must not be allowed to turn into a crisis, and that the new tools will let the EU decide who it wants in the Union and who it does not.

The main change is the agency's role. Today Frontex helps EU countries guard external borders and supports them in removing people with no right to stay. Under the draft, the agency would become the EU's central body on returns: it would get a dedicated coordination centre to gather and analyse operational information and help plan operations. Support would cover the whole process, from advice on voluntary departure to reintegration assistance in the country of origin.

The second new function is returns from one non-EU country to another. If the draft is adopted, Frontex could organise such operations, but only on the basis of a specific agreement that respects fundamental rights and the ban on sending people where they would face danger. The third is a monitoring and response centre that would track publicly accessible social media content and act against illegal content linked to border risks. Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said these tools would improve early warning and crisis forecasting.

What this means for you. This is a proposal, not a law. Until the Council and the Parliament approve it, Frontex works under its current mandate. Regulations like this are usually debated for one to two years.

The figures behind the proposal

The Commission explains the proposal by a changed situation. According to it, irregular crossings of external borders have fallen by more than half over the past two years, and the share of return decisions actually enforced has risen above 30%; Brunner cited 33%. In 2025, he said, 64,000 returns were carried out with Frontex support, including more than 220 flights.

Another trigger cited was the events in Ceuta in summer 2026, when about 72,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave in two days. Italy then introduced checks on its border with Spain, and Spain reciprocated; the checks were lifted only on 24 October, as covered in our story on the end of checks between Italy and Spain. The Commission wants the EU to have a shared reserve next time that can be sent quickly where help is needed, rather than countries closing internal borders one by one.

On the budget, Brunner said it is the member states themselves asking for the increase. The EUR 11.8 billion figure is part of the parallel negotiations on the EU long-term budget. If the budget is cut, staffing plans will have to be stretched too. The published materials give no date by which the corps should reach 30,000: the plan is for gradual growth.

What this means for you. A bigger Frontex is the EU betting on control of external borders and on removing those with no right to stay. For a legal move, holding a valid status and renewing it on time matters more than before.

Digital case management for returns

The second regulation is technical. It would create three tools: a return case management system, a readmission case management system for working with third countries, and a reintegration support tool. According to Commission officials, no new centralised database is created: the point is for national authorities to handle cases in compatible electronic systems and share information faster. Implementation could take up to four years, according to one EU official.

For an ordinary traveller this part is almost invisible. It matters for people who have received a refusal and a return decision: such a decision in one country will be easier to take into account in another. It continues the course the EU began with the return regulation; see our story on the EU return regulation. At external borders the EES system already records the entries and exits of non-EU nationals and has counted days automatically since April 2026.

Who is affected and who is not

The proposal targets people with no right to be in the EU: those who entered irregularly, overstayed a visa, or received a final asylum refusal and an order to leave. It is their return that the Commission wants to make faster and more reliable. For tourists, students, workers on visas and residence permit holders, the draft does not change the rules of entry and stay.

A word for those awaiting a residence decision or renewal. As long as the application was filed on time and is being processed, a person is usually in the country lawfully, although the rules depend on the country. The risk arises when a status has ended and neither a new decision nor an application exists. So the main practical rule is unchanged: apply for renewal early and keep proof of filing. In Portugal, for example, the renewal portal is already open for documents expiring by 31 January 2027.

What this means for you. If you hold a valid residence permit or visa, or enter as a tourist within 90 days out of 180, the Frontex proposal does not affect you. Just keep track of your document deadlines.

What it means for Russians

The proposal affects Russians in the same way as nationals of any non-EU country: directly, only those in the EU without a legal basis. For travel, other EU decisions on visas matter more. The Commission is discussing issuing Russians single-country visas instead of multiple-entry Schengen visas, and Finland and Estonia have proposed banning tourist visas; see our stories on single-country visas, Schengen for Russians in October and limited territorial validity visas. The outlook for next year is in our analysis of Schengen visas in 2027.

For those planning to live in Europe, the EU's direction is clear: external borders are getting tighter and legal status is worth more. A reliable route is a residence permit with clear grounds and timelines: investor programmes in Greece, Portugal, Italy, Malta, Cyprus and Hungary, as well as statuses for remote workers and for the financially independent.

What this means for you. For Russians in 2026-2027, EU visa decisions matter more than Frontex. If you need to be in Europe regularly, it is wiser to secure residence in advance than to depend on tourist visas.

How Frontex works today

Frontex was set up in 2004 as a small coordinating agency in Warsaw. After the 2015 migration crisis its powers were widened, and under a 2019 regulation the EU decided to create a standing corps: the agency's own staff plus officers seconded from national services, up to 10,000 people by 2027. Frontex officers in EU uniform work at external borders alongside national border guards, helping check documents, register arrivals, patrol the sea and escort return flights.

It is important to understand the limits of these powers. Decisions on entry, visas, residence permits or refusals are taken not by Frontex but by the national authorities of a given country. The agency does not examine asylum applications and does not issue documents. Even under the new mandate, return decisions would be taken by EU countries, with Frontex helping to enforce them. So for a person holding a valid visa or residence card, the agency's growth changes nothing by itself: status questions are still handled by the migration service of the country where you live.

What happens next

The drafts will now follow the usual EU procedure. The Parliament will appoint a lead committee and rapporteur, the Council will form the member states' position, and then three-way negotiations will begin. The text may change at every stage: the Parliament, for instance, is traditionally more attentive to human rights and may limit powers on returns to third countries and social media monitoring. Corps size and budget will depend on the EU long-term budget talks.

Critics already say the EU is focusing too much on removals and doing too little for legal pathways. Supporters reply that without a working return system, the public will not support legal migration either. For us the practical outcome matters: in the coming months nothing changes for legal travellers and movers, and when it does change, it will mainly concern people without status.

What to do

Presence requirements across countries are compared in the guide to presence requirements. The terms Schengen, visa-free travel, ETIAS, temporary residence, residence permit and permanent residence are explained in the glossary. How the EU is pressing Caribbean citizenship programmes is covered in our analysis of Caribbean programmes and the EU. To discuss a move, book an online consultation; all BRIDGES services are on the home page.

How this article was prepared

Sources: the draft regulation amending the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation and the draft regulation on the digitalisation of case management for return, readmission and reintegration, published by the European Commission on 27 October 2026; the Commission's questions and answers on the budget; Commissioner Magnus Brunner's press conference of 27 October 2026; EU Regulation 2019/1896 on the European Border and Coast Guard. This article does not replace a consultation.